Category: Hockey

What the Hell was That?

The Bruins had a 3-2 lead in their 2nd round series against Montreal. How did they respond to their chance to eliminate their arch rival in game six?

They sucked.

They sucked so bad that I can’t see them winning game seven tomorrow. If that’s how you play in an elimination game, you almost don’t deserve to advance. Just put us out of our misery now.

Even the deer that’s grazing on bushes behind the house right now says the Bruins sucked last night.

Montreal scored the game winning goal less than three minutes into the first period. Pathetic.

The Series is Tied

I would like to thank the Boston Bruins for the little birthday gift they gave me last night. They beat the Canadiens in overtime to tie their second round series at two games a piece. It is pleasing to live in a world where we are tied with Montreal, instead of the alternative which was a world where we trailed Montreal three games to one.

I would also like to thank the Bruins for scoring the overtime goal very quickly and not making me stay up all night shivering in fear.

Thank you, Bruins! Now go win game five!

No Score After Two Periods

You know, the other day when I said I wanted the Bruins to stop spotting the Canadiens a two goal lead, I didn’t mean that they shouldn’t score at all themselves. After two periods in a must win game four, there is no score.

Come on, Bruins. Let’s put a few biscuits in that basket.

2014 NHL Semifinal Predictions

The Kings won game seven! For the forth time in NHL history (and the fifth time in North American professional sports history) a team rallied back from a 3-0 series deficit in a best of seven to win the series. The Sharks CHOKED! It’s beautiful! Now the Bruins are not the most recent team to choke that epically! WOOHOO! Thanks Kings, but even more thanks go to the Sharks! Yes!

Now let’s recap my first round predictions, and let me just say… Nice!

Boston vs Detroit. I picked Boston (duh) and Boston won.
Tampa Bay vs Montreal. I picked Montreal and have yet to stop vomiting and Montreal won.
Pittsburgh vs Columbus. I picked Pittsburgh but hoped to be wrong and Pittsburgh won.
New York vs Philadelphia. I picked New York and have yet to stop vomiting and New York won.

Looks like I was perfect in the East.

Anaheim vs Dallas. I picked Anaheim and Anaheim won.
San Jose vs Los Angeles. I picked Los Angeles and Los Angeles won on San Jose’s epic choke.
St Louis vs Chicago. I picked Chicago and have yet to stop vomiting. Chicago won.
Let’s pause here to notice that out of seven series mentioned so far, I picked them all correctly.
Colorado vs Minnesota. I picked Colorado and……. Minnesota won. DAMN IT! Game seven even went to overtime. I was one series away from a perfect first round! DAMN IT!

That’s seven out of eight for 87.5%. Stupid Avs losing in overtime. Jerks.

Now on to round two!

Bruins vs Canadiens. A return of the greatest rivalry in NHL history! The Bruins and the Habs! This is THE series as far as I’m concerned. The biggest challenge Boston could have (given the way the Penguins have been falling apart) in their quest to win the East. Obviously I am picking the Bruins, but it’s going to be an ugly series and it is going to go seven. Go Bruins!

Penguins vs Rangers. I think the Penguins are by far the better team on paper, but they were given a huge scare by lowly Columbus. The Rangers needed seven games to advance, but I just feel they have their act together while the Pens are ripe for collapse. I am picking the Rangers in this series even though picking New York makes me physically ill.

Blackhawks vs Wild. Nice job blowing my perfect first round, Wild. You suck! I hate Chicago, but Chicago is going to win. Obviously I am rooting for Minnesota, but Chicago is going to win. Sorry.

Anaheim vs Los Angeles. The battle for California part two. I am obviously rooting for the Kings here, especially after the way they came through in the first round. My gut says Anaheim destroys them, but I am going with my heart over my head and picking LA.

So if my predictions work out we will have a Boston/New York and Chicago/Los Angeles conference finals.

Go Bruins!

Papi

Today is a special day for hockey fans. There are four playoff games, all of which have different start times, all of which are nationally broadcast.

I turned on the tube to watch the first game, New York and Philly, and the cable was already on NESN. As soon as the TV picture came in I see Big Papi, David Ortiz, drill a line drive into the right field seats! AWESOME!

CIMG5710

It was after he crossed home plate that I realized it was a reply of yesterday’s game. I am such a tool.

So I switch it over to hockey just in time to see Philly score. It’s 2-1 Rangers. I have some pretty decent timing today, even if in one case I was a day late.

A Thought on San Diego

There is only one downside that I can see about moving from Boston to San Diego. (we’re not, I’m just fantasizing)

San Diego does not have an NHL team.

There’s the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. I expect I would follow the Kings for my local NHL fix, although Ducks games would be slightly closer to home.

I’d still be a Bruins fan, of course. I mean… duh!

gaslamp edit

Clinched

The Bruins won their 11th game in a row last night when their back up goalie shut out Colorado 2-0. I missed most of the game. I don’t know if Jarome Iginla scored another goal or not. Their win also made them the first team in the NHL to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

In unrelated hockey news, my alma mater, UMass Lowell, advanced to the Hockey East finals last night by beating Notre Dame. Just think… If the son of a bitch athletic director hadn’t tried to sell our radio station out from under us I might actually care. I might have followed my old school over the last ten years. I might have even realized that Notre Dame was part of Hockey East.

I hope UMass Lowell does well, but I hope the athletic director gets fired more.

Bruins

Just because I haven’t been posting a lot about the Bruins doesn’t mean I haven’t been following.  Just letting you know that.

The Bruins beat the Canadiens on Wednesday.  It was their first regular season win against Montreal since the Carter administration.  It seemed that way at least.  They looked as good in that game as I’ve seen them look in a long time.  Last night they won again against Phoenix.  It wasn’t quite as dominant, and they looked pretty beat through a lot of it, but it was another quality win.  That’s seven in a row for the Bruins.  They lost the first couple of post-olympic games, but then they straightened things out and have been off the charts ever since.  They are first in the East, and second in the NHL. 

And here I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Let’s hope it falls in August, or something like that.

Hockey Sadness

Team USA lost the bronze medal game today to Finland, 5-0.  I didn’t see the game.  We were at IKEA shopping for desks for the kids.  Given the final score, I am kinda glad I didn’t see it.  At the same time, not having actually seen the game does not alter the depth of my pain.

We were down to the final four teams, and there are three medals… and we didn’t get a medal.  Oh the hockey pain!  Oh the hockey suffering!

Having said that, prior to the tournament’s start, I was figuring they would finish fourth.  So I guess I can’t be too upset.

I am though.  Upset.  I am upset.

You had a nice run, team USA.  Thanks for the fun.